DNC OPENS IN CHARLOTTE: The Democratic National Convention in Charlotte officially kicks off tomorrow. While there isn’t the excitement of a tropical storm bearing down on the city, there are still plenty of energy issues to stay on the lookout for. Here’s Morning Energy’s guide to the 2012 DNC — and don’t miss out on Charlotte trivia, lower down in ME.

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LONG DIVISION: While the party will work to present a unified front on all issues, Democrats have plenty in the energy world they disagree on — just as Republicans do with issues like the Renewable Fuels Standard and the wind production tax credit. Here’s what to watch for.

Coal: Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) is the loudest voice opposing Obama administration policy when it comes to coal, and it’s probably at least part of the reason Manchin (along with West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and Rep. Nick Rahall) aren’t traveling to Charlotte. Meanwhile, West Virginia’s senior senator, Jay Rockefeller, made waves earlier this summer when he said on the Senate floor that “many who run the coal industry today would rather attack false enemies and deny real problems than find solutions.”

Oil: Sens. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska) and Mark Warner and Jim Webb of Virginia are among the Democrats pushing for more offshore oil development (preferably in their states), and plenty of oil-state Dems from both chambers have long pushed for more oil and gas development on federal lands. The party also has a split with environmental activists who are particularly distressed by the administration’s moves to allow Shell to start drilling in the Arctic.

Keystone XL: Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus and Sen. Jon Tester have been big supporters on the left of building the Keystone XL pipeline (the proposed expansion would run straight through Big Sky Country). Most Senate Democrats actually voted last December to force a decision on the pipeline (as part of a payroll tax cut extension), but many made it clear they didn’t expect Obama to approve the pipeline when they voted for the measure.

RUN-UP TO DNC — OBAMA TOUTS WIND IN IOWA: The president made two stops in Iowa on Saturday, both times touching on wind energy issues and calling for Big Oil subsidies to be cut. At the second stop, in Sioux City, Obama was introduced by Rob Hach, owner of a renewable energy business. Romney “said these new sources of energy are ‘imaginary.’ And Mr. Ryan called them a ‘fad.’ You just saw Rob. He looks pretty real to me. I wasn't imagining him up here talking, was I?” Obama said. “He has been in the wind energy business for nearly 20 years. He and his wife Tara now have 27 employees. Nearly 7,000 jobs in Iowa depend on the wind industry. These jobs aren’t fads; they’re our future.”

NOT MENTIONED IN THE IOWA SPEECHES: Climate change.

OBAMA CAMPAIGN ON ROMNEY CLIMATE JAB: ‘NOTHING SHORT OF TERRIFYING’: Obama’s campaign didn’t let the weekend go by without cashing in on the line in Mitt Romney’s RNC acceptance speech mocking Obama for promising to “begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet.” An email to supporters read: “It is nothing short of terrifying to imagine a party that openly mocks climate change taking back the White House. But that's what we're up against.” The email goes on to tout new fuel economy standards and increased renewable energy production. Read: http://politico.pro/OSk8hz

TODAY IN OBAMA: The president speaks in Toledo, Ohio, before jetting down to survey damage from Isaac in New Orleans. Joe Biden speaks in Detroit.

TODAY IN ROMNEY: The GOP candidate has no events scheduled. Paul Ryan is campaigning in Greenville, N.C.

ME’S HOKEY DNC POINTS GAME: Play along with your friends whenever any of these energy goodies garner a mention on the Charlotte dais.

— Ending subsidies for Big Oil is one of Obama’s top energy talking points on the campaign trail. It’s a rousing talking point for his supporters, but the president hasn’t been able to do anything about it during his time in office: 1 point

— Extending the wind production tax credit. It’s been a hallmark of Obama’s stump speech for weeks, especially since hundreds of sector layoffs came in the swing states of Colorado and Iowa last month. Besides giving him a punching bag the American people love to hate — Congress — the PTC is also a good point of comparison between Obama and Romney, who says he would prefer to see it expire on schedule at the end of this year: 2 points

— Ditto on repeats of one of the administration’s favorite statistics: Renewable energy production has doubled since Obama took office: 2 points

— “Protecting the environment and creating jobs are not mutually exclusive.” The Obama campaign (and administration officials) have been pushing this line to counter the Republican argument that more environmental regulations leads to fewer jobs: 3 points

— Anyone brings up the new fuel economy standards, which were finalized last week in the midst of the Republican National Convention in Tampa. The new standards are largely a win-win for the administration, with the auto industry and environmental groups on board: 3 points

— Touting record oil and gas production since Obama took office. The numbers on this one can get a little fuzzy and both sides have claimed the data support their argument, so tread carefully. Double the points if anyone goes into oil and gas production trends on federal lands versus private lands, the natural gas boom on privately owned shale, international trade or other market-level issues. 4 points

— Until a few weeks ago ME was ready to lay down odds that climate change wouldn’t garner much of a mention in Charlotte, as many Democrats continue to lean toward promoting clean energy as a jobs creator. But during the RNC last week, Obama hammered away on the issue, telling college students in three different states that “denying climate change won’t make it stop.” And Romney’s jab at a 2008 Obama remark on climate change in his RNC acceptance speech ( http://politico.pro/SXVqAk) has gotten many on the left riled up. Any serious talk (fleeting references don’t count) of climate change: 5 points

— The 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident and oil spill: 6 points

— Interior Secretary Ken Salazar breaks out the Spanish: 20 points

— Call for a carbon tax: 50 points

— Keystone XL mention: Take a shot of Crown Royal

— Solyndra mention: 535 points

SPEAKING OF SOLYNDRA: Watch for Republicans to make hay this week of the anniversary of Solyndra’s bankruptcy announcement, which was last Friday, Aug. 31. Thursday, Sept. 6 — the day Obama addresses the DNC — is the anniversary of Solyndra actually filing for bankruptcy protection.

— One year after Solyndra’s collapse, investors and employees are still feeling burned. Wall Street Journal: http://on.wsj.com/RwLWdA

— Solyndra is asking a bankruptcy court for more time to file a reorganization plan. Bloomberg: http://bloom.bg/TFDqGN

** A message from America’s Natural Gas Alliance: In Charlotte and need transportation? Hop on the natural gas-fueled "Uptown Circulator" and support an abundant, American fuel. Also, be sure to follow @ ANGAus as we provide updates on how natural gas can #PowerAmerica. www.anga.us/poweramerica **

SPOTTED SUNDAY: Bill Wicker helping press get oriented in the Charlotte Convention Center. For the rest of the week he'll be volunteering in the media room at the Time Warner Cable Arena. "Be sure to stress I'm on my own time," said the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee spokesman, here as a volunteer.

CHARLOTTE MAYOR TOUTS CITY AS ‘ENERGY CAPITAL’: Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx really, really wants you to know that the Queen City is a growing hub for energy companies. The convention co-chairman mentions that the city has been attracting a number of energy firms in recent years several times in an interview with Bloomberg TV’s “Political Capital with Al Hunt” this weekend. “We are working to build a world energy capital here. Duke Energy and Progress Energy have just merged, and that’s creating the largest energy utility in the country, the second largest in the world. And the supply chain around that will find its way here, and that’s going to create jobs,” he said. “So I feel like Charlotte’s on the uptick.” Watch: http://bloom.bg/TGfQK0

SPEAKING OF DUKE ENERGY: Foxx also stood up for Duke Energy CEO Jim Rogers, the convention’s co-chairman who has been dealing with significant controversy over the recent merger and CEO switch. “Jim has been enormous for this convention,” Foxx said. “He has worked tirelessly to help us bring the convention to the city and to make it successful. And he’s been a great partner, and still is.”

GOING TO CHARLOTTE? STOP BY: Our Ben White and Laura McGann will be hosting a POLITICO luncheon tomorrow to talk about the economy and job creation. They will be joined by White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer, Sen. Mark Warner and others.

And don’t miss the discussion on Wednesday, hosted by POLITICO’s Darren Samuelsohn and Jonathan Allen, about current legislation and the energy debates facing the nation. They will be joined by Rep. Ed Markey, former Govs. Bill Richardson and Bill Ritter, former EPA Administrator Carol Browner and Kevin Book of ClearView Energy. A limited amount of seats are available just for Pro subscribers. Email PROEvents@POLITICO.com for more information.

GULF STILL LAGGING AFTER ISAAC: More than 71 percent of oil production and 55 percent of natural gas production in the Gulf is still down following Isaac, according to BSEE. And while companies are sending workers back out to evacuated rigs, 22 percent of production platforms and 24 percent of drilling rigs remained evacuated as of Sunday.

— Motorists didn’t seem to be deterred by record high gas prices, which on Friday hit $3.83 per gallon on average, caused in part by Isaac. Reuters: http://reut.rs/OG5F6l

HAPPENING TODAY IN CHARLOTTE

8:30 a.m. — POLITICO's Mike Allen hosts a Playbook Breakfast from the Democratic National Convention with guests including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. The events will air nationally on C-SPAN.

2 p.m. — America’s Natural Gas Alliance and Piedmont Natural Gas host an exhibit to learn about natural gas vehicles and how they are being used in Charlotte and at the DNC.

CHARLOTTE TRIVIA: Sadly, dear readers, you all seem to have checked out early for the holiday weekend; no one guessed that Rosewater Elizabeth was the Tampa Bay band listed that did not put out a major label CD in the 1990s. So let’s start off with an easy one for this week’s Charlotte trivia.

Today’s question: Which British Army officer declared Charlotte “a veritable hornet’s nest of rebellion” after citizens resisted his campaign during the Revolutionary War? Send your answer to aguillen@politico.com; first to get it right gets their name in Morning Energy.

IN OTHER ENERGY NEWS

EPA OKs SHELL AIR PERMIT: McClatchy reports: “The Obama administration has cleared another hurdle for Shell to drill in Alaska's Arctic waters, …changing the company's air pollution limits so its drill ship can operate in the Chukchi Sea. Shell told the Environmental Protection Agency in June that the company was able to meet overall air quality standards. But it said a set of generators on the drilling rig Noble Discoverer fell short of the specific requirements for nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions. The EPA now has agreed to allow the drill ship to go ahead and operate in Arctic waters while the agency decides how to handle Shell's request for a revised permit.” McClatchy: http://bit.ly/QKNQYX

CLINTON HOPES FOR MORE ON CLIMATE CHANGE: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hopes the U.S. steps up its efforts to combat climate change, she said during a visit to the Cook Islands Friday. “We stand behind our pledges in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to prompt substantial action to help vulnerable countries adapt,” she said at a news conference where she also pointed to regional sustainability efforts in low-lying nations. “In part because of the economy, U.S. emissions are the lowest that they’ve been in 20 years. But look, we know we have more to do, and we have made a commitment, we’re going to stick with our commitment. I hope that we’ll be able to go beyond those commitments in the future.”

WATER, WATER NOWHERE, AND NOT A DROP TO GENERATE ELECTRICITY: The drought sweeping much of the nation is hurting the nation’s hydropower production, and it’s becoming a long-term problem, Bureau of Reclamation Commissioner Michael Connor told Platts Energy Week TV Sunday. “The drought has had a significant impact,” Connor said. “Overall on the hydropower side, we’ve seen probably over the last decade about an 11 percent reduction in our power production that we attribute to low water supplies.” Climate change, he added, is only going to put greater demands on water supplies in the West for agriculture and other uses. Watch: http://bit.ly/T7tolX

THE CAUSE OF — AND SOLUTION TO — ALL OF THE WHITE HOUSE’S PROBLEMS: Answering the call of the people, the White House has released two recipes for its home-brewed beer. Caution: You’re going to need White House honey, and if you thought bees sting, wait until the Secret Service catches you trying to scale the fence. POLITICO’s Byron Tau: http://politi.co/RyfpUI

CONGRATULATIONS to the newly engaged POLITICO Pro Senior Web Producer Julia Haslanger and Justin Myers, a news developer at PBS’s “NewsHour.” Justin proposed at the Reflecting Pool on Friday night just after sunset. They met in journalism school at the University of Missouri. The big question: Will baker extraordinaire Julia make her own cake, and if she does how extreme will it be? (h/t Playbook)

QUICK HITS

— A Norwegian company has signed a deal with NASA to apply lessons learned from the Mars Curiosity rover to unmanned oil drilling rigs. Bloomberg: http://bloom.bg/NGq2FP

— The New York Times looks at former BP chief Tony Hayward’s return to the oil business — this time in Iraq: http://nyti.ms/RbnkT7

— Federal funds for a Range Fuels wood-to-ethanol plant in Georgia “was approved despite repeated warnings and strong opposition by some of the federal officials who vetted the project,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports: http://bit.ly/OIbiRu

— The closure of the Windy City’s last two operating coal plants is the end of an era, the Chicago Tribune writes: http://bit.ly/OJU49Q

— George W. Bush-era DOE official Michael Scott Delello has been named deputy cabinet secretary of New Mexico's Cultural Affairs Department. AP: http://bit.ly/PQREIj

THAT’S ALL FOR ME. Enjoy the end of summer, even if it’s not yet the end of high temperatures.

** A message from America's Natural Gas Alliance: We believe in a clean energy future. Natural gas is a cleaner energy choice and a key partner to solar and wind technologies. From California to Florida, natural gas facilities are working with renewable energy to ensure steady, affordable and cleaner energy choices for communities across our nation. Because it is an abundant and affordable energy source available right here in America, natural gas can help make the promise of cleaner energy a reality in more American communities. Natural gas is smarter power today. Visit anga.us to learn more. **

** A message from Vet Voice Foundation: Tens of thousands of service members and veterans rely on public lands to hunt, fish, camp and heal from the wounds of war. These lands are part of the American heritage we fought for. As a new President and Congress look to rebuild America's infrastructure, we call on them to make an equal investment in maintaining our public lands and parks for our service members and all Americans. Support for our veterans must extend to investing in and protecting America’s natural heritage, for our children and grandchildren. www.VetVoiceFoundation.org **

Authors:

About The Author

Alex Guillén is an energy reporter for POLITICO Pro, where he covers EPA, regulations and coal, as well as lobbying and campaign finance in the energy realm. He previously wrote the Morning Energy newsletter. He graduated from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., with a degree in anthropology and English. He is an avid reader and TV binger. The Delawarean, thrilled that there are finally Capriotti’s outposts in Washington, lives in Alexandria, Va.